Controller handle



Patented Sept. 29, 19 25,

UNITED STATES WILLIAM BROWN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, GALIFORN'IA.

CONTROLLER HANDLE.

Application fi1ed March 18, 1925.

T0 aZZ wh0m z't mug concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Bnown, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, hare invented certain new and useful Improvements inController Handles, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in controller handles of the typeadapted tobe applied to the stem of the controller of an electricrailway car forthe purpose of operating the controller, and one of theobjects of the present invention is to provide a handle which may bereadily applied to the controller stem and, when properly applied, Willbe. securely held upon the stem and adapted to be operated to rotate thestem without any lost play, such as is often present in the use ofordinary controller handles. lVhile I am aware that controller handleshave previ ously* been designed and constructed to adapt them to beclamped to the controller stems to which they are applied, nevertheless,such handles have consisted of two hinged sections and as a result thehan les are incapable of withstanding the rough usage to which they aresubjected. It is a well known fact that such handles are frequentlycarelessly and roughly handled by motormen not only when they are inplace upon the controller stems, but also after they have been removedfrom the stems, so that the handle which comprises several pivoted orhinged parts does not possess suflicient strength and durability torender it desir able for use. Therefore, it is another important objectof the present inxention to provide an integral or one-piece controllerhandle possessing great strength and durability and, at the same time,embodying means to adapt it to be firmly clamped upon a controller stem.

In controller handles of the type comprising two pivotally or hingedlyconnected sections, a set screw or clamping screw is ordinarily providedfor drawing the sections together to clamp them at their ends about thecontroller stem and it is quite obvious that in such a construction theclamping screw is subjected to considerable strain because, when thehandle is swung, the tendency is for the ends of the sections thereof tobe spread apart through the resistance oflered by the controller stem,its

Serial No. 16,480.

end beingof rectangular form and fitted be tween said encls of thehandle sections. Therefore, the present invention has as a furtherimportant object, to so construct the handle that the clamping screw orbolt employed in connection therewith will be subjected to minimumstrain.

In the accompanying clrawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the controller handle embodyingthe invention mounted upon an electric railway car controller.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the handle, the controller stem being shownin horizontal section.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direotion indicated by thearrows.

The handle embodying the invention comprises a shank portion indicatedby the nu- 1neral 1 and an upwardly curved arm 2 Which extends fromoneend of the shank portion. The handle is of substantially uniform widththroughout its entire length and the body of the handle is preferablyformed from a single metal blank. At its end opposite its encl tromwhich the arm 2 extends, the shank is preferably rounoled as at 3, atits exterior surface, and is formed with a rectangular socket indioatedby the numeral 4, of dimensions to adapt this end of the shank to befitted to the stem 5 of the controller 6. Said shank 1 and the arm 2 areformed with a slot 7 whioh extends longitudinally thereof and at one endopens into the socket 4 and at its other end terminates short of thefree end of the arm 2. Ordinarily, the handles Will be made of brass,which metal possesses a degree of resiliency suitable for the purposesof the present invention, and the socket 4 Will be of such dimensions asto adapt it to be initially reely fitted onto the stem 5 of thecontroller. The shank 1 of the handle is preferably formed in itsopposite sides with recesses 8 and, at its end from which the arm 2extends, the said shank is formed with alined transverse openings 9. Aclamping bolt 10 is fitted through the openings 9 and has its shankthreaded into a nut 11 Which is seated in a shallow recess 12 formed inthe wall of the corresponding recess 8, the other end of the shank ofthe clamping bolt being provided with a winged head 18 adapting the boltto be readily tightened by hand, the base of the head seating within theother recess 8, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

From the foregoing, it will be evident tlmt while the socket 4 is soprportioned that it Will initially reely acco1n1nodate the s tud 5, whenthe l1andle is fitted to the stud and the bolt 10 is tightened, theopposite walls of the slot 7 Will be brought together and the socket 4:Will tl1ns be sutliciently contracted to cause its Walls to fir1nlyfrictionally bind the controller stem In this 1nanner the h andle issecurely und yet readily removably fixed upon the controller stem andmay be operated to rotate the stem without any play or lost 1notion.Furthermore, there is no likelihood of the lmndle becoming accidentallydisengaged from the stem.

At its outer end, the arm 2 supports a hand grip ll which may begrasped, as HSL1E Ll for the purpose of swinging the handle.

It Will be understood that inasmuch as the handle is 0 integralconstruction as distinguished fron1 comprising two pivotallyor hingedlyconnected sections, minimum strain is impos ed upon the clamping bolt10. Furthermore, the handle possesses greater strength and durabilityand is not lialole to be damaged through the rough usage to which suchhandles are ordinarily subjected and as would be likely to occur if item- =bodied two relatively separable sectons.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A controller handle comprising en integral bandle body including ashank por tion having a controller-stern socket adjacent one nd thereofand an arm extending from the other end thereol, the said handle bodybeing for1ned with aslot extending longitudinally of its shank and thearm portion and terminting at one end short of the outer end of the armportion and at its other end opening into the said socket, and means forrelatively adjusting the walls of the slot to effect contraction of thesocket and thus cause the walls of the socket to bind the controllerstem.

9. A controller handle comprising en integral handle body having acontroller-stem socket adjacent one end and ornoed with a slot extendinglongitudinally thereof and opening at one end into the socket, theopposite feces of the sad body near the socket being ormed wth recesses,a clamping bolt having a head received in one of the recesses, said bolthaving a shank extending tl1ro1 1gh the walls of the slot at therecesses, and a nut upon the bolt housed within the other recess, thebolt being adjustable to relatively adjust the walls of the slot toeffect contraction of the socket.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM BROWN [L. s.].

